Pool table trough with finger receiving holes



o. s. NIELSEN 3,495,825

POOL TABLE TROUGH WITH FINGER RECEIVING HOLES Feb. E7, W7

w E m M w mm w W, 9 m A m 7 o 0 W 7 mm. M, mm\|% 6 NW. N mmw m mN L3 @Nn v mww EE mmw m M\ United States Patent 3,495,825 POOL TABLE TROUGHWITH FINGER RECEIVING HOLES Otto S. Nielsen, 4875 Sorell Ave. N.,Minneapolis, Minn. 55422 Filed Apr. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 631,343 Int. Cl.A63d 15/00 US. Cl. 273l1 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pooltable with a ball return trough extending along each side with a ballcollecting area midway of the longitudinal sides of the table, thetrough being moulded of plastic sheet material and having dischargeopenings at the sidewall through which the balls are flipped outwardlyby a persons finger extended into the bottom of the trough throughtapered holes arranged to ordinarily position the balls immediatelyadjacent the discharge opening in the sidewalls.

This invention relates to pool tables and more particularly to the ballreturn portion of the pool table.

Heretofore, it has been common practice to extend the ball return tracksthroughout the entire length of the table so as to collect the ballsadjacent one end thereof. It has been necessary in such tables toseparately construct a panel or shroud structure as to enclose the trackin order to provide the pool table with a presentable appearance.

An object of my invention is to provide a pool table with a ball returnand collecting structure of simple and inexpensive construction andoperation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pool table with a ballreturn trough underlying the longitudinal side of the table and forcollecting the balls midway between the ends of the table so that thesymmetrically shaped trough provides the ornamental shroud for the sideof the table and requires no further enclosures.

Another object of my invention is to provide a moulded ball returntrough forming the shroud of the table and provided with ball dischargeopenings through which the balls may be readily and easily flipped by apersons finger.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fullyappear from the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to thesame or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the table;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal detail section view taken approximately at 2-2in FIG. 1 and with the bed and side rail, assembly removed for clarityof detail;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section view taken at 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail section view taken approximately at 44 in FIG. 2.

One form of the present invention is shown in the drawings and isdescribed herein. The pool table is provided with a supporting structure11 carrying the bed 12 in a stationary and level position. The bed 12includes a rigid panel 13 having a planar top surface which is coveredby a fabric 14. The bed 12 is surrounded on all four sides by a siderail assembly 15 which includes rigid linear frame elements 16,generally constructed of wood, a resilient rubber bumper 17 which iscovered by a fabric 18 identical to the fabric 14. The side railassembly 15 is affixed to the bed 12, and may carry a suitable strip 19of trim.

The side rail assembly 15 and the bed 12 cooperatively define aplurality of pocket openings 20 arranged in the conventional manner, atthe corners and midway along the longitudinal sides for the balls tofall through.

The side rail assembly is provided with leather backing 21 adjacent eachof the pocket openings for absorbing the shock of impact by the billardballs.

A pair of identical ball receiving and return troughs 22 are mounted atthe respective longitudinal sides of the table 10 and in underlyingrelation with the several pocket openings 20 therealong. The troughs 22are vacuum-formed of substantially rigid plastic sheet material, such aspolystyrene or numerous other plastics that are commercially available.The outer sidewall 23 forms the ornamental trim or sidewall panel of thetable 10 so as to eliminate the need for any encompassing cabinet work.At the inner side of the trough, a horizontal flange 24 extends the fulllength of the trough and is connected to a strut 25 which is constructedof heavy gauge sheet metal with its upper and lower edges respectivelyflanged and secured as by screws to the panel 13 of the bed 12 and tothe flange 24 of the trough. The strut 25 adds substantial rigidity tothe pool table structure 10 as a whole and also serves to define theinner sidewall of the trough.

At each end of the trough 22, the bottom 26 is inclined from theterminal end portions of the trough toward the medial portion thereof.The inclined bottom 26 is provided with a channel shaped groove 27 ateach of its end portions so that the upper edge portions 28 of thegroove cooperatively cradle the balls received thereon and define atrack directing the balls toward the medial portion 29 of the bottom.The medial portion 29 provides a collecting area for the balls fromwhich the balls will be removed through the ball discharging openings 30in the sidewall 23. It will be recognized that the openings 30 exceedthe size of the billard balls used with the table so as to permit theballs to be readily removed therethrough.

The medial portion 29 of the bottom of the trough is substantially flatand level, and as a result of the vacuum-forming technique in formingthe troughs 22, a plywood insert panel 29a remains at the inner side ofthe trough to form a portion of the bottom thereof. This medial portion29 of the bottom is provided with a plurality of finger holes 31, eachof which is disposed immediately adjacent one of the ball dischargeopenings 30. The finger holes 31 have an elongate and tapered shape,oriented transversely of the sidewall 23 with the broadest end 31a ofthe finger openings immediately adjacent the sidewall 23. It will beunderstood that normally the balls in the trough 22 will come to restupon one of the finger holes 31 and as a result of the tapered shapethereof, will roll outwardly toward the wall 23 to be seated at thebroadest end portion 31a thereof. The broad end portion 31a is out ofalignment with the path of movement of the balls moving along the trackdefined by the groove edges 28 so that the balls moving along the trackwill not engage and squarely impact the balls which may be seated in thefinger holes 31.

It will be noted that the rounded lower periphery 30a of each of theball discharge openings .30 is spaced upwardly from the bottom of thetrough so as to confine the balls along the medial portion of the bottomand prevent accidental discharge thereof from the trough.

3 It will be recognized that with dilferent arrangement of ball deliverstracks, the individual ball discharge openingsftogether with theadjacent tapered finger holes might be used in an end location of a pooltable.

When a ball drops through one of the corner pocket openings 20, the ballwill fall into the bottom of the trough and'immediately start rollingdown the inclined track toward the medial portion 29 of the trough. Theball will pick up some momentum so that the first ball to arrive at theintermediate portion 29 will generally bounce over the first and secondfinger holes 31 and come to rest on one of the other finger holes. Aspreviously indicated; the "ball will move toward the adjacent dischargeopening 30, because of the tapered shape of the finger hole 31. Assuccessive balls are dropped through the pocket openings 20, they willroll down the track and come to rest on respective finger holes 31 so asto be available for immediate removal from the trough 22 As the billardball is seated on the broad portion 31a of the finger hole, the oppositeend of the finger hole is substantially open and unobstructed so that apersons finger may be readily and easily inserted into this rear portionof the hole and with one finger the ball will be engaged and movedforwardly toward the wall 23. Immediately upon movement of the ball by asingle finger, the ball will engage the lower rounded peripheral portion30a of the discharge opening 30 and will be cradled thereby so that theball will not roll sidewards in either direction. It will also be notedthat because the persons finger will be inserted through the rear ornarrower end portion of the hole 31, the ball will be engaged along itsrear portion and the ball will naturally tend to move forwardly andtoward openings 30 for ultimate removal. As the bali is lifted slightly,it will move upwardly over the lower periphery of the hole 30 and willfall outwardly into the open palm of the persons hand.

It will be understood that because of the construction of the ballreturn portions of the trough 22, the balls may be very quickly removedfrom the trough. Each of the balls is individually visible through theopenings 30 so that in the situation of a scratch shot, the cue ball andthe proper numbered ball may be quickly identified and retrieved.

Eventhough the balls may be very quickly and easily removed from thedischarge openings 30, it is extremely unlikely that any of the ballswill be accidentally discharged through the openings .30. It will benoted that the balls will be seated out of alignment with the inclinedtrack and therefore the full impact of the balls rolling from the trackwill be diverted. Furthermore, the ball which is seated in one of theholes 31, is actually disposed below the level of the trough bottom andmust be uplifted first out of the hole 31 and then over the portion ofthe sidewall adjacent the lower periphery 30a of the discharge opening.

The ornamental shroud 32 at each of the ends of the table and betweenthe troughs 22 is also vacuum-formed of the same plastic material to thesame shape of the ends of the trough as illustrated. The shroud 32, aswell as the outer wall 23 of the troughs 22 is securely fasteried to theside rail assembly and may be concealed under the trim 19 asillustrated.

Of course the troughs 22 might also be provided with a single elongateaccess opening extending along the medial portions 29 for removal of theballs. In such an arrangement, the finger holes 31 would be eliminatedalong the flat bottom of the medial portions 29 so as to define a ballcollecting tray with one side of the trough open therealong.

It will be seen that I have provided a new and improved pool tableconstruction wherein the ball return trough provides the ornamentalsidewall of the table and returns the balls midway along thelongitudinal sides of the table to the collecting area where the ballsmay be individually and quickly removed through the discharge openingsby a simple flick of a persons finger.

Of course will be understood that various changes maybe made in theform, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pool table having asupporting structure, a rectangular bed andside rail assembly defining pocket openings to receive the .ballsdownwardly therethrough,

the improvement comprising a pair of elongate ball return troughsrespectively extending along the longitudinal sides of the bed, and eachbeing of one piece, unitary construction the end and medial portions ofeach of said troughs underlying the respective pocket openings andreceiving balls therefrom, each of the troughs having a pair of balldelivery tracks in generally end-to-end relation and respectivelysloping in opposite directions and downwardly toward the medial portionof the trough, the trough having a ball collecting area at the medialportion and between the tracks, each of said troughs being of channelshaped cross-sectional configuration including a bottom wall and uprightball confining sidewalls integral with said bottom wall, the outermostof said side walls of each trough having an access opening therein atsaid medial portion and adjacent said collecting area for permittingremoval of the balls from the troughs,

the bottom wall of each of said troughs being of flat configuration atsaid medial portion to define an elongate ba'il collecting tray, and thebottom wall of each of said troughs having a plurality of fingeropenings therein to facilitate removal of balls from the tray throughsaid access openings.

2. In a pool table having a supporting structure, a rectangular bed andside rail assembly defining pocket openings to receive the ballsdownwardly therethrough,

and ball receivhig means underlying said pocket openings and including ahall carrying trough beneath the bed, said trough having a bottom withadjoining ball delivery and collecting portions and also having anupright ball confining sidewall adjoining the bottom, said deliveryportions of the bottom being sloped toward the collecting portions fordelivering the balls thereto, the collecting portions of the bottomhaving a plurality of finger receiving holes spaced from each otheralong the sidewall to admit entrance of a persons finger formanipulating the balls in said collecting portion and said holes alsoseating and accurately positioning the balls thereover, the sidewallhaving a plurality of enlarged ball discharge openings each adjacent arespective hole and each of said openings defining a lower ball cradlingperiphery closely adjacent the corresponding finger hole to immediatelyreceive a ball when lifted out of the corresponding hole with one fingerof a persons hand and thereby provide convenient manipulation andhandling of the balls during removal from said collecting portions.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said finger holes are ofs-ufficient size as to readily and easily admit entrance of an adultsfinger therethrough and to seat a ball below the level of said bottom atthe collecting ortions, the lower ball cradling periphery of each ofsaid openings being spaced above said bottom whereby to prevent ballsseated upon said holes from being accidentally bounced outwardly throughsaid discharge openings by balls traveling into said collecting portionsfrom the sloped delivery portions with substantial velocity.

4. The invention according to claim 2 and said finger holes having anelongate shape and being oriented transversely relative to the sidewall,and said elongate finger holes being tapered in the longitudinaldirection thereof with the broadest portion thereof being disposedclosely adjacent said discharge openings to seat the balls closelyadjacent the discharge opening and permit access of a persons fingerthrough the hole and behind the ball for flipping the ball outwardly ofthe sidewall.

5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein the sloped deliveryportions of the bottom define an inclined delivery track guiding ballsalong a predetermined path toward the collecting portions and acrosssaid tapering finger holes therein, the broad end of each of said fingerholes being located closely adjacent the sidewall and at one side ofsaid predetermined path for positioning the balls below and out ofdirect alignment with the path of travel of the balls from said track.

6. The invention according to claim 2 wherein the lower periphery ofeach of said ball discharge openings is rounded to prevent sidewardmovement of the ball as the ball is urged through the discharge opening.

References Cited 10 RICHARD c. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner THOMAS ZACK,Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

